Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 11:32:44 -0500 From: David B. O'Donnell To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Subject: Former Aryan Nations Leader Tours OR [ Send all responses to 0007190674@MCIMAIL.COM only. Any responses to the list or list-owners will be returned to you. ] After Human Dignity progressives shut down an Aryan Nations recruitemnt drive in Grants Pass, Oregon the Nations has turned-up 20 miles down the road in Medford. Aryan Nations has advocated establishing a White Homeland in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. Beyond The Closet is a lesbigay organization in predominatntly rural eastern Oregon. We are working with the state-wide Rural Organizing Project to arrange a tour of 18-20 rural Oregon for reformed Aryan Nations leader, Floyd Cochran. Following is information about these events. Here in Oregon we see the importance of showing the connections between the anti-gay movement with the racist, anti-choice, anti-envrionement, anti-progressive intollerant right. Many of the communities which Cocjran will be visiting had no "civil rights" or Queer groups prior to the 1990 Oregon Citizens Allaince (OCA) anti-gay "Ballot Measure 9." To this point progressive efforts have focused on putting energy into fightinganti-gay campaigns with little energy put into the interviening time periods. The most valuable public educational effort to date has been the touring "Anne Frank" exhibit promoted by the Rural Organizing Project. Cochran's tour of Oregon is an important organizing tool, giving many of the more isolated organizations an activity to activate their supporters around as we prepare for at least 4 anti-gay initiatives the OCA is planning for 1996. Mr. Cochran recognizes the connection between racism, sexism, homophobia & speciesism, as does BTC. Again, we are a Queer group in rural eastern Oregon. We work to promote better understanding of Queers & our issues through public educational forums. As part of our efforts to bring speakers to Bend we are sharing speakers with communities throughout Oregon. Beyond The Closet's efforts began last fall with appearances by Mel White, former HRCF Exec. Tim McFeeley, Suzanne Pharr, former Oregon Affirmative Action Dir, Kathleen Saadat, and Scot Nakagawa. This spring we are focusing our local efforts on films while working on the state tour for Floyd. Next fall we are looking to arrange a tour of Oregon for Letitia Gomez of LLEGO and Dan Heliminiak, author of "What the Bible Really Say's About Homosexuality," (not that I really care, being and evangelical, existential, born-again pagan). Grants Pass is on our tour schedule for Floyd during April/May. Bruce Amsbary (503)317-8966. - Beyond The Closet PO Box 9174, Bend, OR 97708 - 7190674@mcimail.com * * * * * LESBIAN, GAY GROUP TO HOST FORMER NEO-NAZI BEND, OR - Central Oregon's lesbian/gay organization, Beyond The Closet is working with the statewide Rural Organing Project to arrange an 18-20 community tour of the state for reformed Aryan Nations leader, FLoyd Cochran. The tour will take place for approximately four weeks during April and May 1995. April 20, the birthday of Adolf Hitler, Mr. Cochran will be speaking in the Tower Theater in Bend, Oregon. Mr. Cochran served as the propaganda and media contact for the Aryan Nations in the early 1990's and organized youth recruting drives for the white supremists organization in Oregon, Washington and Tennesee. It was Mr. Cochran's work in Portland, Oregon which helped set the stage for the brutal bludgeoning death of the Ethopian student Mulugeta Seraw in 1988. Mr. Cochran left the Aryan Nations in 1992 upon being told his son would be euthanized when the Nations took over due to a cleft palate, a "genetic defect." In his early days away from the white supremesist movement it was members of the Jewish and African American communities which took him under their wing, showing him his conceptions of those peoples where wrong, and set him on his current path. Cochran now tours the nation speaking on the dangers of the ultra radical right - especially focusing on the Christian Patriot, Militia and white supremists movements and their connections with the anti-choice, anti-gay and "Wise Use" movements. The tour of Oregon will cover every geographic area of the 95,000 square mile state. Many communities being visted are some of the remainig counties in the nation to be designated by the federal governmernt as frontier areas. Cochran will be speaking in high schools, churches, with police gang task forces and community meetings. For this tour Mr. Cochran is donating his usual honoraria, and will only be recieving funds collected at each event, with some of the proceeds going to the hosting organizations